Woolworths, Coles and other Aussie retailers take AI search fight to Amazon, Jaywing analysis shows

Research by Jaywing shows that, while Amazon is still the dominant retailer in AI search across most Australian retail categories, Woolies and Coles top AI brand visibility in the grocery and food category. 

While Amazon leads in AI search responses for six of the major retail categories, in grocery and food, Woolworths comes top with 20% of AI brand visibility, followed by Coles at 17%, Amazon 13% and Aldi in fourth with 7%.

Jaywing’s study analysed factors that influence which retailers and brands are surfaced in AI generated answers, including intent, funnel stage, content format and brand presence across key retail categories including electronics; fashion and apparel; health and beauty; hobbies and recreational goods; home and living; and hobbies and recreational goods; books, stationary and multi-media.

Amazon topped the electronics category with 42%, but there was a robust showing from Australian retailers with JB Hi-Fi (31%) and Harvey Norman (22%) holding strong positions in AI results. 

In health and beauty large retailers such as Amazon (25%), Chemist Warehouse (21%), and Priceline (8%) collectively account for over half of AI visibility in the category, while at the same time, specialist skincare brands like CeraVe (7%) and The Ordinary (6.5%) hold meaningful midtier presence, showing that clear positioning and authority can compete with scale. 

Home and living remains competitive and fragmented with traditional retailers such as Harvey Norman (21%) and Bunnings (17%) maintaining strong AI visibility in search. Appliance brands such as DeLonghi and Breville, both at 5% break into the top ten reflecting how product led authority matters in the category. 

Jaywing’s analysis also reveals how commercial retail search has already become inside AI environments. Nearly 70% of AI retail queries show clear commercial or transactional intent, signalling many users are already in buying mode when they interact with tools built on large language models, such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI driven results. More than half of searches occur during the mid-funnel consideration phase, when shoppers are comparing options and narrowing their shortlist. 

Tom Geekie, CEO at Jaywing, pictured above, says: “AI search has already become a critical layer in how people discover products and consumers are asking complex questions and expecting direct recommendations, which means the AI engine effectively decides which brands enter the conversation.”

“This is a fundamental shift from traditional search and no longer about ranking number one for a keyword, but about being one of the few sources an AI model chooses to cite and summarise. If a brand is not present in the sources AI trusts and references, it simply does not appear in the answer.”

“That means losing visibility even when consumers are actively looking to buy. Retailers and brands investing in Generative Engine Optimisation will have a real opportunity to shape how AI systems describe, recommend and prioritise them.”

Jaywing’s report was powered by search data from AI visibility and generative engine optimisation platform, Writesonic, with analysis and interpretation using a GEO framework, focusing on the search intent behind AI retail queries; funnel stage distribution; presence and use of AI shopping features; content formats cited in AI answers; most frequently cited domains and brand visibility across AI platforms. This enabled Jaywing to see not just who appears, but why.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.